Traditional management
squarely places the responsibility for team performance or organisational
success on the manager's shoulders. The manager motivates the Team or
Organisation by guiding or "pushing" the Staff through Processes,
Procedures, or Metrics, utilising a top-down approach to achieve desired
outcomes.
Servant Leadership flips the
script on this top-down management style. A Manager's primary focus is meeting
the needs of the Team or Staff members. The manager's goal is to inspire or
"pull" performance by capturing the "hearts and minds" of
the staff and helping them reach peak performance levels.
Servant Leaders maintain a
holistic view by empowering their staff (the puzzle pieces) to work
independently. They tap into everyone’s passion, pride, and desire to excel to
enhance team performance and cohesion, ultimately revealing the bigger picture.
Servant Leadership emphasises allowing people and Teams to operate autonomously
with minimal direct oversight while providing maximum support when necessary.
- Director: This leadership style is
implemented when a manager is responsible for the team's outcomes. They
oversee the team's operations by following established processes and
procedures, ensuring that the organisation's day-to-day activities are
carried out consistently. This approach is particularly suitable for
environments resembling a "production line," where repetitive
tasks are high in volume. Examples of this management style can be
observed in teams that handle large numbers of transactions in a
standardised manner, such as processing customer payments (accounts
receivable) or paying supplier invoices (accounts payable). In such
scenarios, the work is predictable and undergoes minimal changes.
Performance metrics are utilised to assess and enhance the team's
efficiency.
- Coach: This leadership approach is
utilised by a manager who guides their team, allowing for a certain level
of decision-making and independence when completing tasks that are not
part of the usual routine. Coaching is commonly applied in scenarios such
as a Call Centre, where employees must present different solutions to
address and settle insurance claims or when staff resolve customer service
issues that demand their judgment to satisfy their needs. The manager
will address any issues that the staff cannot resolve independently or
when they require guidance to find a solution. Coaching underscores the
importance of the manager and staff member discussing problems as equals.
Nevertheless, the manager may steer the staff towards the correct solution
and offer advice when the staff member needs validation or guidance.
Support and direction management techniques are employed in conjunction
with each other.
- Supporter: Managers who support their
team refrain from getting involved in the day-to-day operations of their
staff. The level of staff direction is minimal, but the manager is
available to help when requested or when it is evident that the staff
requires help, such as during stressful situations. The manager
effectively leads the team by granting a high level of autonomy to the
staff members whose skills, knowledge, and experience are equal to or
surpass that of the manager. This autonomy allows the staff to work
independently within certain boundaries. A suitable example of this
leadership style can be observed in a Technical Sales Support function,
where the team's expertise enables them to operate with minimal
supervision. Another scenario where this style is applicable is when the
manager is not directly in charge of the team they are interacting with,
as seen in the role of a Procurement Manager guiding the best market
approach for a Spend Category in a Tendering process with another Team.
- Delegator: A manager assumes
accountability for the outcome of a specific area of work but entrusts the
task to a staff or team member who possesses the necessary skills,
knowledge, and experience to execute it. Delegation may be employed when a
procurement manager assigns the responsibility of conducting a tender to a
team member, such as a buyer or another team member, for whom the
procurement manager does not have direct management responsibility. In
this scenario, the procurement manager is responsible for ensuring the
proper execution of the Tender; however, they typically do not directly
oversee the task and instead offer minimal support to the Buyer or the
team conducting the Tender, only when and where it is required.
James Kouzes and Barry
Posner identified the five practices that should be part of every leader's set of
skills, and these include being able to:
- Challenge the Process: Leaders will question processes,
procedures, and current operating methods to drive change and, if needed,
“break the rules” to improve performance and efficiency.
- Inspire a Shared Vision: Secure in their Vision, Leaders
work backwards from their vision of how things should be to achieve their
goals and aspirations. However, a vision must be shared and communicated
to others within the team to inspire Teamwork so that the goals and aspirations
can be shared, owned, and worked upon to achieve their fullest potential.
- Enable Others to Act: Leaders inspire staff to act
independently. They impart the authority and empowerment for individuals
to act autonomously and use their skills, knowledge, and experience to
reach the zenith of their best performance. Leaders share trust, inspire
confidence, and encourage risk-taking.
- Model the Way: Leaders lead from the front.
They take it upon themselves to do everything they would expect of others
and more. They lead by example and inspire Team members to follow. A
Leader will manage Projects by steering the Project Team to achieve its
goals, giving positive/negative feedback, and directing when needed to
bring the Project Team back on track.
- Encourage the Heart of
Employees: A
Leader will never look to receive praise but will give truthful, honest,
positive feedback instantaneously to team members as it happens to
encourage others, themselves having the humility to take negative feedback
against Team performance when required.
The leader will engage with
Team members to inspire, motivate, and maintain Project momentum by
communicating directly with everyone within the team and encouraging honest
dialogue, whether negative or positive.
However, there exists a
distinction between a manager and a leader. Managers are responsive; they
oversee processes and performance indicators to guide or "push" team
performance from the top down to achieve goals. Managers must question the status
quo or prevailing mindset and adhere to current operational methods with
minimal consideration.
A leader is innovative and
proactive, influencing performance from the bottom up, being self-motivated,
and establishing the vision for their team to attain; a leader is willing to
take calculated risks to challenge conventions and drive change to enhance team
and organisational performance.
Regarding Directional
Thinking, managers and leaders establish the guidelines that staff and teams
adhere to, whether it involves a process or procedure in the case of a manager
or a vision that a leader formulates. This gives way to two different methods
of thinking, dependent on the instances in which the thinking occurs:
- Direction-Setting Opportunity: This can occur when a process
needs to be changed because it is not achieving the required outcome, a
new process is created, or a current process is amended to accomplish an
organisational objective. As is the case with transactional activities
such as the raising of Sales Orders or Supplier Invoices, these changes
are intentional.
- Direction-Setting Decision: These usually occur as an
unintentional change of direction due to a need for a new direction or
where a change in direction is created due to a change in the needs of a
market sector. They can be a vision of where the organisation wants to
place itself within a new market or exploit it when a new product is
launched.
Paradigm Shifts occur when
unexpected changes challenge people's everyday thoughts, actions, or
expectations in an environment. These shifts can be seen when new products are
launched, altering the entire market dynamic.
Take, for instance, the
internet's impact on the availability of films, programs, and music. In the
past, people would visit physical stores to purchase CDs, DVDs, and videos.
However, with the advent of the internet, individuals now prefer to download files
online.
Moreover, changes have
occurred in how people shop and buy goods and services. Many individuals now
opt for online shopping instead of visiting local stores, leading to decreased
retail and banking chains on the high street.
Mind Mapping is a thought
process that follows a linear approach to complete tasks. It involves breaking
down tasks into smaller parts, designing processes, or creating lists of
products to facilitate task completion.
On the other hand, Reframing
is a thought process commonly used when dealing with complex or politically
sensitive issues. It focuses on adopting a strategic approach to address these
issues. Approaching such matters from a negative standpoint often results in a
hostile response.
Therefore, rephrasing questions or addressing performance issues optimistically
is beneficial. For example, highlighting someone's strengths before discussing
their areas for improvement makes the conversation less confrontational.
Consequential thinking
involves considering the potential outcomes of an issue before acting. By doing
so, problems can be addressed proactively and less detrimentally, leading to
efficient and effective resolutions.
For instance, when
conducting an electrical repair, thinking through a series of actions and
isolating the electrical supply's source ensures safety. It would be highly
irresponsible not to prioritise this step. Effective communication is essential
for a personal vision to become a shared vision. The vision must be
communicated to the team, and the team must work together towards achieving it.
The key to success lies in a
team's acceptance of the shared vision as their own, motivating them to
collaborate and strive towards its realisation. For this to occur, the leader
must articulate and connect with the personal values and beliefs of the individuals
within a Team and with the team.
The leader must be able to
influence the team to accept the vision as their collective Vision. Robert
Cialdini found six influence strategies:
- Reciprocity: An obligation for one person to
return an act of giving to another. For example, when a Birthday card is
received, an obligation is created to send a return Birthday card at the
proper time to the sender of the Card.
- Commitment: A promise to do something for
someone else.
- Social Proof: Is the validation of a set of
actions against the actions of a group of people within society. We use
this to ensure that what we do or act is acceptable to those around us or
within our social group; a Leader will react and manage others as they
would like to be managed. Social media significantly influences these
contexts, as feedback can be ruthless and immediate.
- Likeability: People are attracted to and will
collaborate with people with whom they have a good relationship. Likewise,
we are more likely to resolve a customer service issue by talking to
people rather than venting our frustration at someone in an angry,
unfriendly way.
- Authority: The ability to influence others
because of their position within a peer group rather than using people
skills. An example would be a Magistrate in a Court environment or a
Managing Director responsible for an organisation.
- Scarcity: People’s attraction to a
commodity due to it not being widely available. Precious metals, such as
Gold or silver, are attractive to people due to their relative scarcity.
People are attracted to them in troubled times because of the security of
holding something of perceived value coveted by others.
Ethics play a crucial role
in conducting activities, determining whether the actions are ethical or unethical.
If a manager or leader lacks ethics, it can severely damage their reputation
and the organisation's reputation in the eyes of others. This loss of trust
makes it challenging for the manager or leader to carry out their daily
responsibilities as confidence in their abilities diminishes.
To ensure integrity and
protect the interests of all parties involved, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing
and Supply has established a code of ethics for its members. This code promotes
openness, transparency, and fairness in all business transactions, safeguarding
the financial well-being of the organisation and its customers/suppliers.
Trust is the foundation of
any business relationship, as it relies on the belief that both parties will
fulfil their obligations. Ethics plays a vital role in maintaining this trust
between individuals, organisations, and businesses.
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